Collapsible shelters

ABSTRACT

A collapsible shelter frame comprising in the erected condition, at least four members arranged to define the sides of a polygon having four or more sides with at least two of said members being generally parallel and optionally one or more transverse stays arranged parallel to said parallel members, the members and any stays being hingedly connected together, with one of said parallel members and any stays parallel thereto being provided with releasable joints intermediate their ends, and at least one leg attached to the frame to extend out of the plane thereof.

United States Patent [191 Roscoe [11] 3,929,147 1451 Dec. 30, 1975 I 1 COLLAPSIBLE SHELTERS [76] Inventor: Edward J. Roscoe, 3 Chesterfield House, High Level Road, Green Point Cape Province, South Africa [22] Filed: Feb. 4, 1974 [21] Appl No.: 439,086

[52] US. Cl l35/7.l A [51] Int. Cl. E04F 10/10 [58] Field of Search 135/1 A, 3 A, 4 A, 5 A, 135/5 AT, 7.1 A

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,788,791 4/1957 Pospisil et al. 135/5 AT 3,186,420 6/1965 Magee 135/7.l A 3,327,724 6/1967 Nielsen 135/5 AT 3,599,651 8/1971 Perry 135/1 A FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 737,930 10/1955 United Kingdom 135/4 A Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Assistant ExaminerKenneth J. Dorner Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Watson, Cole, Grindle & Watson [57] ABSTRACT A collapsible shelter frame comprising in the erected condition, at least four members arranged to define the sides of a polygon having four or more sides with at least two of said members being generally parallel and optionally one or more transverse stays arranged parallel to said parallel members, the members and any stays being hingedly connected together, with one of said parallel members and any stays parallel thereto being provided with releasable joints intermediate their ends, and at least one leg attached to the frame to extend out of the plane thereof.

11 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec.30, 1975 Sheet10f2 3,929,147

US. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,929,147

COLLAPSIBLE SHELTERS This invention relates to collapsible shelters of the type which are suitable for use in conjuction with a motor vehicle, for example, to provide a sheltered area from the sun or rain and more particularly the invention relates to a collapsible framework for such a shelter.

In accordance with this invention there is provided a collapsible shelter frame comprising in the erected condition, at least four members arranged to define the sides of a polygon having four or more sides with at least two of said members being generally parallel and optionally one or more transverse stays arranged parallel to said parallel members, the members and any stays being hingedly connected together, with one of said parallel members and any stays parallel thereto being provided with releasable joints intermediate their ends and at least one leg attached to the frame to extend out of the plane thereof.

Further features of the invention provide for there to be four members defining a quadrilateral, for there to be one cross-stay parallel to said parallel members, for there to be two legs carried on opposed members of the frame, for the legs to be located approximately midway between the ends of the members which are transverse the parallel members, and for the members carrying the legs to be hinged at the position where the legs are attached thereto.

Still further features of the invention provide for the legs to be telescopically extensible and for the joints in the parallel member and stays to be spigot and socket type joints.

The invention also provides a shelter comprising a frame as described above and a sheet of flexible impervious material adapted to be extended over the frame.

The invention still further provides a shelter assembly in kit form and comprising a frame as described above, a sheet of impervious material adapted to be extended over the frame when it is in its erected condition, and a plurality of fasteners adapted to secure one of said parallel members to a water channel or gutter of a motor vehicle.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates in side elevation the use of the shelter assembly of the invention in conjunction with a motor car;

FIG. 2 is an underneath isometric view of the erected shelter assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed elevation of a clamp to be used for securing a member to a vehicle water channel or gutter;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the erected frame alone;

FIG. 5 is an isometric detail view of the connection of a leg to a member of the shelter assembly;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view ofajoint in the stay or one parallel member;

FIG. 7 is an isometric detail view of a connection between a member and a stay; and

FIG. 8 is an isometric detail view of corner connections between two members. 7

In this embodiment of the invention the shelter comprises a sheet 1 of flexible impervious material such as 2 canvas, plastics or the like extended over an erected collapsible frame 2 therefor.

The frame 2 in this embodiment of the invention is in the form of a rectangle wherein the sides of the rectangle are defined by tubular members hingedly interconnected at their ends and a pair of legs 3 extending out of the plane of the rectangle.

One of the tubular members defining a shorter side of the rectangular frame is a single length of tubing and constitutes the main member 4 of the frame. The other shorter member 5 opposite the main member 4 is provided midway between its ends 6 with a spigot and socketjoint 7 illustrated in an expanded form in FIG. 6. At a central location between these two shorter mem bers is a tubular cross stay 8 which is parallel to the shorter members and is also provided with a spigot and socket joint 9 midway between its ends 10 which are pivotally connected to the longer tubular members 11 of the frame.

Each of the pivoted connections between the members themselves and also between the members and cross-stay are formed by welding a plate 12 of U-shape in cross-section over the appropriate location on a longer member 11 such that the free ends 13 of the plate pass on opposite sides of the adjacent member or stay. A pin 14 is passed through the free ends 13 of the plate end through the tubular member or stay to provide the pivot. This construction is shown clearly in FIG. 7 for the cross-stay and in FIG. 8 for the members themselves.

The longer side members 11 are discontinuous as a result of the joint between the legs and these members. This joint is located substantially midway along the length of each longer member but slightly off-set from the connection of the cross-stay to the longer members.

Each of these joints (shown clearly in FIG. 5) comprise a square cross-sectional tube 15 welded transversely to the top of each leg. This tube has one pair of diametrically opposed slots 16 cut in the walls thereof and extending along the length of the square tube, on the sides thereof. The free ends 17 of the sections of the longer members 11 fit neatly into the square tube and each is provided with a transverse pin 18 therethrough. Thus each section of a member 11 may slide axially within the square tube which is provided at each free end thereof with a cut-away portion 19 in the lower wall to enable the sections to pivot about the pin when they are at the farthest locations in the slot from the center of the square tube. Thus when the pins are in the latter position the two sections and leg may be pivoted together while, when the sections are pushed into the square tube and the two sections joined thereby, they are held in collinear relationship and at right angles to the associated leg.

Finally, for compactness, each leg is made telescopically extensible with a winged screw 20 passing through the outer member to releasably lock the members in any desired degree of extension thereof.

In order to support the main member from a motor vehicle water channel or gutter a plurality of clamps 21 are provided. Each clamp comprises a pair of plate-like members 22 as shown in FIG. 3 having formations at one end suitably shaped to clamp around the main member and at the other end for engaging the water channel 23 on a motor vehicle. These two plate-like members are fastened together releasably by a winged screw 24 passing through one member and into a nut 25 secured to the other member.

It will be understood that in order to collapse the shelter into a compact unit the sheet of material is generally removed and the spigot and socket joints released. The parts of the stay and shorter member 5 are then folded inwardly against the longer members 11. The legs are then telescopically collapsed and the sections of the longer members of the frame pulled apart and pivoted so that they lie against the legs. Finally, these folded parts are pivoted against main member 4 to provide a compact assembly for transport. In order to erect the shelter the reverse operations are performed.

The shelter may also be used without supporting the main member in an elevated position in order to use it as a wind shelter. in this case the main member would simply be supported on the ground and the frame would then be inclined to the horizontal.

It will be understood that many variations may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. For example the type ofjoints used may be varied as required as can the construction of the hinges. Also, clamps may be permanently secured to the main member if required.

What i claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A collapsible shelter frame comprising, in an erected condition, at least four elongated frame members arranged to define the sides of a polygon having at least four sides, at least two of said members being generally parallel, said at least four members being hingedly interconnected together, one of said parallel members comprising a pair of member sections interconnected together by a releasable joint intermediate the ends of said one member, the other of said parallel members being rigid throughout its length, the remaining two frame members of said at least four members each including a pair of remaining member sections; a pair of leg members extending outwardly of the plane of the frame and being hingedly connected to said remaining frame members by means of hinge assemblies designed to permit said sections of said respective remaining members to be releasably aligned in coaxial relationship with one another, whereby the frame may be collapsed into a compact unit upon release of said one member sections, upon movement of said one member sections to respectively lie against said remaining members, upon movement of said remaining member sections into contact with their respective leg members, and upon movement of said remaining frame members together with said hinged sections to lie against said other parallel member.

2. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein an elongated and transverse stay member is arranged parallel to said parallel members, said stay member being hingedly interconnected to said remaining members intermediate their ends, and said stay member comprising a pair of member sections interconnected together by a releasable joint intermediate the ends of said stay members, whereby the frame is collapsible into the compact unit upon release of said stay member sections and upon moving said stay member sections to respectively lie against said remaining frame members, after which said remaining frame 4 members together with said hinged sections are moved to lie against said other parallel member.

3. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein four of said frame members are provided to define a quadrilateral-shaped frame.

4. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein said leg members are located approximately midway along the length of said remaining members.

5. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein said leg members each comprise at least a pair of telescoping sections so as to render said leg members extendible.

6. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein said releasable joints are socket-type joints.

7. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, further including a sheet of flexible impervious material adapted to be secured over the frame.

8. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 7, further including a clamp assembly provided for clamping one of said frame members to a motor vehicle rain gutter.

9. A collapsible shelter frame comprising, in an erected condition, at least four elongated frame members arranged to define the sides ofa polygon having at least four sides, at least two of said members being generally parallel, said at least four members being hingedly interconnected together, one of said parallel members comprising a pair of member sections interconnected together by a releasable joint intermediate the ends of said one member, the other of said parallel members being rigid throughout its length, an elongated and transverse stay member arranged parallel to said parallel members, the remaining two frame members of said at least four members each including a pair of remaining member sections, said stay member being hingedly interconnected to said remaining members intermediate their ends, said stay member comprising a pair of member sections interconnected together by a releasable joint intermediate the ends of said stay member; a pair of leg members extending outwardly of the plane of the frame and being hingedly connected to said remaining frame members by means of hinge assemblies designed to permit said sections of said respective remaining members to be releasably aligned in coaxial relationship with one another, whereby the frame may be collapsed into a compact unit upon release of said stay member sections and movement thereof to respectively lie against said remaining frame members, upon release of said one member sections, upon movement of said one member sections to respectively lie against said remaining members, upon movement of said remaining member sections into contact with their respective leg members, and upon movement of said remaining frame members together with said hinged sections to lie against said other parallel member.

10. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 9, wherein said leg members each comprise at least a pair of telescoping sections so as to render said leg members extendible.

l l. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 9, further including a sheet of flexible impervious material adapted to be secured over the frame. 

1. A collapsible shelter frame comprising, in an erected condition, at least four elongated frame members arranged to define the sides of a polygon having at least four sides, at least two of said members being generally parallel, said at least four members being hingedly interconnected together, one of said parallel members comprising a pair of member sections interconnected together by a releasable joint intermediate the ends of said one member, the other of said parallel members being rigid throughout its length, the remaining two frame members of said at least four members each including a pair of remaining member sections; a pair of leg members extending outwardly of the plane of the frame and being hingedly connected to said remaining frame members by means of hinge assemblies designed to permit said sections of said respective remaining members to be releasably aligned in coaxial relationship with one another, whereby the frame may be collapsed into a compact unit upon release of said one member sections, upon movement of said one member sections to respectively lie against said remaining members, upon movement of said remaining member sections into contact with their respective leg members, and upon movement of said remaining frame members together with said hinged sections to lie against said other parallel member.
 2. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein an elongated and transverse stay member is arranged parallel to said parallel members, said stay member being hingedly interconnected to said remaining members intermediate their ends, and said stay member comprising a pair of member sections interconnected together by a releasable joint intermediate the ends of said stay members, whereby the frame is collapsible into the compact unit upon release of said stay member sections and upon moving said stay member sections to respectively lie against said remaining frame members, after which said remaining frame members together with said hinged sections are moved to lie against said other parallel member.
 3. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein four of said frame members are provided to define a quadrilateral-shaped frame.
 4. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein said leg members are located approximately midway along the length of said remaining members.
 5. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein said leg members each comprise at least a pair of telescoping sections so as to render said leg members extendible.
 6. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, wherein said releasable joints are socket-type joints.
 7. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 1, further including a sheet of flexible impervious material adapted to be secured over the frame.
 8. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 7, further including a clamp assembly provided for clamping one of said frame members to a motor vehicle rain gutter.
 9. A collapsible shelter frame comprising, in an erected coNdition, at least four elongated frame members arranged to define the sides of a polygon having at least four sides, at least two of said members being generally parallel, said at least four members being hingedly interconnected together, one of said parallel members comprising a pair of member sections interconnected together by a releasable joint intermediate the ends of said one member, the other of said parallel members being rigid throughout its length, an elongated and transverse stay member arranged parallel to said parallel members, the remaining two frame members of said at least four members each including a pair of remaining member sections, said stay member being hingedly interconnected to said remaining members intermediate their ends, said stay member comprising a pair of member sections interconnected together by a releasable joint intermediate the ends of said stay member; a pair of leg members extending outwardly of the plane of the frame and being hingedly connected to said remaining frame members by means of hinge assemblies designed to permit said sections of said respective remaining members to be releasably aligned in coaxial relationship with one another, whereby the frame may be collapsed into a compact unit upon release of said stay member sections and movement thereof to respectively lie against said remaining frame members, upon release of said one member sections, upon movement of said one member sections to respectively lie against said remaining members, upon movement of said remaining member sections into contact with their respective leg members, and upon movement of said remaining frame members together with said hinged sections to lie against said other parallel member.
 10. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 9, wherein said leg members each comprise at least a pair of telescoping sections so as to render said leg members extendible.
 11. The collapsible shelter frame according to claim 9, further including a sheet of flexible impervious material adapted to be secured over the frame. 